Premier Pledge

The Premier Pledge is a potential benefit for incoming freshmen who are South Carolina residents and either First Generation or fully Pell-eligible students.

Scholarships and other funding are always applied to tuition first. Once these funds are applied to tuition, any difference between the total of these funds and the annual tuition cost of $10,384 will be covered, ensuring no out-of-pocket costs for tuition for the first year of college.

Additional costs (such as housing, meal plan, and certain fees) are in addition to the tuition cost of $10,384 and are therefore not part of the Premier Pledge. If a student has scholarships and other grant aid that covers the cost of tuition, the Premier Pledge would not apply. For example, if a student has scholarships amounting to $11,000, the student will not receive the Premier Pledge as there is no gap to fill for tuition. The excess scholarship amount ($616 in this example) would go towards any other costs, such as fees, housing, etc.